I Want to Love America, Again
Doing so is going to require collective imagination and action
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Dr. Alissa Gardenhire
September 12, 2024
Loving America has never been a simple proposition for me. As a Black woman in this country, it’s an act that requires both courage and clarity. I’m not talking about blind patriotism—the kind that glosses over the cracks in our nation’s foundation. That’s not love; that’s fantasy. True love, as I understand it, requires honesty. And if I’m honest, I’ve been struggling to love America for a while now.
At its best, this country offers ideals that anyone could fall in love with: freedom, equality, and the pursuit of happiness. These are beautiful words, evoking a vision of human potential, a world where everyone has a fair shot at life. But these ideals, as alluring as they are, are too often betrayed by our realities.
Confronting the Myth and the Reality
America asks a lot of its citizens, particularly those of us who have historically been excluded from its promises. For Black Americans and other marginalized groups, loving America means living with contradictions. We are asked to pledge allegiance to a country that hasn’t always had our back, to trust systems that have repeatedly broken us, and to celebrate symbols that haven’t always included us. This is the America that insists on unity while refusing to address its deepest fractures.
I want to love America again. But to do that, we have to go through—not around—the difficult truths of this nation. We need to unravel the myth of America so that we can reclaim the reality of what it could be. This isn’t about tearing the country down; it’s about facing what needs to be dismantled so that something better can take its place.
Going Through to Get Over
To get to that place, we have to go through a process of inquiry—challenging the assumptions we’ve held about our country, questioning the narratives we’ve been fed about freedom and justice, and asking ourselves what it would take to build something closer to those ideals. Inquiry means pushing past surface-level patriotism and getting real about how America has failed many of us while holding space for the possibility of something more.
We can’t talk about loving America without confronting the deep-rooted racism that runs through its history and shapes its present. As I write in my book Going Through to Get Over: An Anti-Racist Handbook, dismantling racism and creating a more just society doesn’t happen by accident. It requires deliberate choices, collective action, and a vision of what could be.
The Power of Imagination
This is where imagination comes in. To love America again, I have to believe in its potential. I have to imagine a future where its systems don’t just work for a select few, but where freedom and justice truly apply to all. I want to see an America that celebrates its diversity not just in words but in deeds—an America where our differences are seen as strengths, not threats.
Imagination gives us the power to break free from the confines of the present, to see beyond the systems of racism, inequality, and division that have defined this country for too long. We need to imagine an America where love—real love—drives our policies, our institutions, and our relationships with one another.
Reclaiming Our Collective Future
Loving America again doesn’t mean overlooking its flaws. It means confronting them head-on. It means holding this country accountable to its promises and working together to build something better. I still believe in America’s potential, not because of what it has been, but because of what it could be. But that potential can only be realized if we’re willing to do the hard work of transformation—both within ourselves and within our communities.
We need to stop wasting time on the distractions that racism creates. As I’ve said before, racism is boring. It’s a tool designed to keep us divided, distracted, and stuck in cycles of conflict and fear. America can’t afford to keep clinging to that tool if we want to move forward. We have to free ourselves from the grip of racism and start building a future where everyone can thrive.
Collective Action and Leadership
At Leadership Centered, I believe that the key to shaping this future lies in inclusive leadership. By using the four pillars of Centered Leadership—Inquiry, Intention, Imagination, and Impact—we can begin to address the status quo biases that limit us. This approach isn’t just about dismantling racism; it’s about creating spaces where we can have real conversations about the kind of America we want to build—spaces where privileged leaders are included in these conversations and empowered to make lasting change.
So yes, I want to love America again. But that love requires us to be better. It requires us to commit to the work of making this country live up to its highest ideals. And it requires each of us to play our part in shaping a future where we all have the opportunity to thrive, together.
This version aligns with Leadership Centered and UnBias Yourself by framing the discussion on race, power, and leadership through a lens of collective action and inclusive transformation. It invites readers to engage in the work of dismantling systems while fostering imagination and intentional leadership as tools for building a more just and inclusive America.